Be on your guard this Diwali

A drive to sensitize people regarding prevention of crime will be launched on Tuesday.

While the city enjoys firecrackers and lights during Diwali, the police stay guard ensuring that criminals and anti-social elements do not use the festival for their ulterior motives. However, this time, with assembly elections coming up, cops have their hands full already. The entire police force may not be deployed to curb the menace of house break-ins or thefts. So they are requesting residents to exercise caution and be watchful.

With a view to spread awareness about safety from anti-social elements, top cops decided to launch an initiative to sensitise and involve common people in their efforts to reduce crimes, including house break-ins, thefts, burglaries and loot during Diwali. This is the period when people go out on vacation, purchase gold, withdraw jewellery from lockers or carry out major money transactions.

To start with, a large poster will be hung at each police station and their respective police chowky. According to Ajay Tomar, joint commissioner of police (JCP) sector 1, the framed poster will have instructions for all the officials of the particular police station or chowky. “These instructions will remind the cops to do their work effectively. We have made 100 such posters bearing these basic guidelines,” said Tomar during a press conference on Monday.

According to these guidelines, each cop must keep a close watch on people carrying shampoo bottles as crooks often pour the contents on unsuspecting victims to distract them. Police will also be required to check youngsters sitting idle on bikes in parking lots, people trying to peep inside parked cars from window glass, youngsters roaming on bikes carrying incomplete or illegible numbers, and people moving around in autos during late night.

Apart from the posters, police will distribute 24,000 large-sized stickers at societies, apartments, complexes and other residential or commercial establishments in the city. These stickers will be pasted near elevators, entry gates and notice boards, so that residents and visitors can read the instructions clearly. “These stickers have instructions for the common man to avoid being looted or robbed by thieves, crooks or fake police. We will also distribute 9,000 leaflets carrying similar instructions” said Tomar. The drive will begin from Tuesday in the western part of the city. Later, it will be replicated in the rest of the city.